If you were to search Coffee Shop Between the ‘Verses in Google, this is what might show up…
Not really, but these are related to the book!
Coffee Shop Between the ‘Verses Google Search
Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story – JenEric Movie Review
How This Works – Read Other Reviews
Hello Cinephiles,
Today we’re talking about the 2024 film Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.
Story
This is the standard love story where the “prince” meets the uncommon girl and her family and before she knows who he is, they start falling for each other. Then there’s drama when she finds out and eventually they rebuild trust and love. Same plot points as a lot of Cinderella stories.
There’s nothing particularly new in it, but they tie every plot point to the emotion of the movie.
I was worried this would just be a huge ad for the team and it’s players, but it never felt that way. Even with Donna Kelce popping up.
Score: 0.5
Characters
Throw a bunch of standard, but kind, family tropes at a wall and you’ll get the characters from this movie.
That being said, they act the shit out of it. Every line, every look, and every movement is purposeful and impactful. The actors are mostly veteran TV actors and they’re lovable.
The main characters are adorable and have enough chemistry to keep us interested.
Score: 1
Dialogue
The dialogue was pure cheese but delivered so well that it felt deep.
Score: 1
Visuals and Music
The camera angles were good and they made Kansas City look like a small Christmas town, which is impressive.
The music did it’s job and was good.
Score: 0.5
Fun
It was a nice relaxing movie that was sweet and still pulled at my heartstrings. Both my wife and I loved it. (We watched it after the kids wree in bed.)
Score: 1
Overall
It strikes the perfect balance between cheese and real emotion with all the heart you’d need from this sort of movie.
Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5
Freddy
I think I was supposed to be frightened of Freddy Fazbear from the video game Five Nights at Freddy’s, but how could I be with such a big smile??
I will write… I hope
Hello my Friends, Family, and Fans;
I’ve been having a hard time the past two weeks with a series of migraines that have been pretty bad. I’m hoping that this is the tail end and it’ll start getting better this week.
Either way, I’m planning a Christmas story and I’m hoping to write it this week. I’m also hoping to write a story for the next Siren’s Song magazine. I’m really nervous for both of these, the first because it involves a character that’s mostly Jen’s, and the second because I’ll be writing Kennedy who is completely Jen. She’s given me permission and she’s going to help but I’m still a little worried.
I really want to write, but between background stress (which I can’t talk about) and my migraines, I’ve found it hard to actually do it. I want to change that, but we’ll see how it goes.
Stay safe and be kind,
Éric
Exceptionalism and the Underdog
Hello my friends, family, and fans;
I saw a post the other day that shook me and I’m still having trouble with it.
The post was a typical leftist meme that said, “We’ve all watched A Christmas Carol countless times but you still blame Tiny Tim for his fate.” I thought it was a little over the top and was looking forward to reading comments roasting the poster for being overly dramatic. Wow, was I surprised.
The comments were mostly about how it wasn’t Tim’s fault but his parents. How they were irresponsible for having so many kids and not being able to support them. I swear I heard Scrooge’s voice asking, “Are there no prisons?”
It makes me sad that people still believe poverty is a character flaw and not a trap. I grew up poor and I saw the shame on my Mom’s face when she had to accept donations so we could have Christmas dinner. The only flaw in character my mother had was her taste in men.
It saddens me that, despite all our fiction promoting empathy and tolerance, people seem to have missed the message. There’s this weird thing in western culture where we all feel like we’re the underdog and anything we achieve is due to our hard work and striving. That applies to the poor, middle class, and billionaires. We all seem to think we’re Cratchit, even when we act more like Scrooge.
Believing we’re special is the first step to treating others as if they aren’t.
Every person is important and deserves life, dignity, health, freedom, and love, no matter what their level of productivity or their lot in life.
This winter is going to be a bad one for a lot of people. If you can, please consider donating to a food bank. We will be making a donation directly to the Ottawa Food Bank.
Stay safe and be kind,
Éric
A Case of Synchronicity Google Search
If you were to search A Case of Synchronicity in Google, this is what might show up…
Not really, but these are related to the book!
Jingle Bell Heist – JenEric Movie Review
How This Works – Read Other Reviews
Hello Cinephiles,
Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Jingle Bell Heist.
Story
They manage to meld the formula of a heist movie with the heart of a Christmas romance. It was happy, sad, stressful, twisty, and ends happily.
Score: 1
Characters
The two main characters could have been extremely bland but the actors were amazing and elevated them into real, feeling people.
Score: 1
Dialogue
The dialogue was good, especially when the two main characters were talking with each other, but there were times when they are talking about the heist where it felt very unnatural on the exposition.
Score: 0.5
Visuals and Music
The movie had very muted colours but overall was still pretty and well shot.
The music was excellent, melding the Christmas songs with more dramatic score.
Score: 1
Fun
We guessed several of the twists before they happened but didn’t feel cheated by it. Everyone liked it. Not sure it’ll become a yearly rewatch but it was good.
Score: 1
Overall
A fun and well thought-out combination of rom-com and heist movie set at Christmas. The actors are phenomenal and the story will keep you guessing.
Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5
We don’t talk about him
No, really. Shh!
Loved this. The rat was a surprise that he pulled out after I asked for a picture.
Thank you for being awesome!
Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;
We’ve been doing a lot of smaller cons and craft fairs and I wanted to let everyone know how much we appreciate chatting with you. Even when people don’t buy things, we appreciate our con friends coming by and talking with us.
Our friends, fans, and repeat customers make the entire thing worthwhile.
Extra big shout out to the girl who walked by and said how much she’d loved Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers, which she’d bought on Kindle. It was awesome to meet someone we didn’t know, and didn’t sell to, who loved the book. It’s like meeting a fan in the wild. Really exciting.
Also really exciting was hearing about a Reddit post where people were looking for local geeky coffee and several of you sang our praises. It’s always great to hear how much people love our coffee, books, and crochet. Again it makes everything worth it.
Be kind and stay safe,
Éric
The Scarlet Thread Irregulars (Serial Story) — Chapter 11
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12
Chapter 11: My team gives the Devil his due
Thursday the 12th of October, 2006 – Shields Crossing, Ontario
With a plethora of fictional fighters coming toward us, Galaus, my team, and I prepared to fight.
I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried to do anything after an intensive training session but it’s not easy. You’re tired all the way to your bones and no matter how good you are, your body moves slowly.
We started by trying to dispel the fighters but they had been formed too long ago. We can’t return things to the Aether unless they’re freshly summoned.
Galaus and I were able to boost the others’ energy but not enough to fight half a dozen experienced fighters. We were soon spending more time retreating than fighting and we needed to do something.
“Sylvie, remember what Great Uncle Ray always says?” I asked her. I didn’t want to be any more specific and it was hard to think, parry, and talk at the same time.
“When are you and that wizard getting married?” she replied questioningly as she moved forward on the Scarlet Pimpernel.
“He asks you that too? Nevermind. The other thing!” Our uncle seemed more than a little preoccupied about the love life of our expansive family. He says it’s because he wants us all to have the same happiness he’s found with his husband.
“It’s annoying but I know he cares. You mean combat isn’t chess. If you’re losing, cheat,” she said, and I could hear the annoyance in her voice. “How is that useful? Are you saying my gun would be useful here?”
“I wish,” I said wistfully before adding, “No. I need you to make a distraction.”
“Okay then,” she replied and parried the Pimpernel with her sword in her left hand. In a smooth motion, she pulled out her gun and shot him in the head. It did absolutely nothing but the noise and surprise made everyone stop.
I’m not a wizard but I have been trying to learn about runes. As a ritual, they take time to set up, but if you do it right, they can have a big effect. My plan was to pat down the grass around the fight in the right runes to dispel the fictionals. It was something I’d been learning from a friend who was a wizard, not from the other Gatekeepers, and I hoped that was going to surprise them.
In my fatigue, I must have done something wrong because nothing happened. Everyone on my side was bleeding or hurt, and it was just a matter of time before someone made a fatal mistake.
I had to get help. I took out my phone and dialled a number I knew very well before putting the phone in my front pocket.
Thinking of Luc, the literal devil, I said, “I need your help.” Louder, I added, “Please!”
“No!” a petulant demonic voice said, echoing through the fields.
The combatants all stopped. Galaus was the first to move again and took down one of the musketeers. The fight continued and my heart sank.
“Please, I’m begging you!” I said loudly. “Help me!”
The field disappeared and we were all sitting around a poker table with Luc as the dealer. The enemy fighters were gone and I was holding a losing hand of cards.
“Aces high, jockers wild, and play like your soul is on the line,” Luc smirked.
“What the hell?” Galaus asked. “Didn’t I kill you?”
“Can’t kill the devil, young man. I’m eternal.”
Hoping to get some information, I said, “As real as those fighters.”
“Are you going to call or raise?” Luc asked before adding, “I’m a person. They’re just golems, homunculi, Aether robots; no souls.”
“With enough time, they could become sapient just like us,” Galaus said, in a tone that was both disapproving and grumpy.
I smiled at the old man, “When it comes to sapience, a little time and some magic does wonders, but when it comes to true power, it’s not that easy, right?”
Looking at me quizzically, Galaus replied, “That’s true, Aether-creatures and even certain Aetherborn will grow in strength as they get older. What are you up to?”
“Enough. Let’s get down to deals.” Luc rubbed his hands and a contract appeared in front of each of us except Grant, who’d already signed one to save us from the Adlats.
“No thank you,” I said, doing my best to look smug.
Red-faced with anger, Luc screeched, “You begged me for help!”
“No I didn’t,” I said and pointed at the entrance of the room. I was starting to think she wasn’t going to come, but thankfully she opened the door. “I was asking her.”
She was a sight to see in her tall boots, jeans, and long leather coat. Her light brown hair was tied into a long braid. Annabel was unarmed but radiated power to anyone who knew what to look for.
“Fascinating construct. Made by the same power as those fighters outside,” she commented, looking around at the casino and everything in it.
“Who are you?” demanded Luc.
Ignoring him and turning her hazel eyes toward me, she said, “Seriously, you go silent for three months and suddenly pocket dial me for help?”
“I’m a jerk,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
With a dramatic sigh, Sylvie added, “He totally is, but he’s had this whole guilt complex because of the colour of his sword. Probably didn’t think he was worthy of you or some such male bullshit. Thanks for coming though.”
“If I knew you’d be here, I’d have called your fiancée.”
The lights darkened and red fire seemed to erupt from behind Luc. In a menacing baritone, he shouted, “I do not like being ignored. Get out of my house.” With that, he gestured at Annabel.
I felt the jolt of power he threw. It should have thrown her out of the building, if not the province. She moved her hand around and suddenly there was a cool breeze in the room.
Annabel was a wizard who specialized in alteration magic. She takes things and turns them into other things.
With her coat blowing dramatically, she walked slowly toward Luc. She stopped in front of him and just eyed him. It reminded me of the way a knitter looks at a nice sweater, like they’re trying to figure out how it was made.
Finally she spoke, “You are a beautiful piece of work but you’re so young. Given a few more decades, you might become powerful enough to be a threat. I’m sorry, this is going to hurt.” She reached out and plucked a hair from his head.
A tremor rocked the building and it was as if the world was unravelling. Things started to disappear until there was nothing left but Annabel, Luc, Galaus, my team, and I standing in a field with the sun setting.
“What have you done?” Luc demanded. “Where’s my power?” He fell to the ground and started weeping.
Kneeling next to him comfortingly, Annabel said, “I disconnected your being from the Aether. You are now just a regular Aetherborn.” Looking up at me, she asked, “Do you know who created these things?”
“Yes, and we’re going to deal with it,” I replied.
“Is it a Gatekeeper matter?”
“Yes.”
Nodding, she said, “I’ll take care of him. You go finish this. Then call me.”
Read Chapter 12 (December 2025)
While you wait for the next chapter, check out the previous serial stories:
- 2024 – Red Day, Ere the Sun Rises: A Sun Speaker Story (Space Opera)
- 2023 – The Suns of War (Sci-Fi, Epic)
- 2022 – Birth of the Aetherverse (Fantasy)
- 2021 – Diamond Stars and the Galactic Heist (Sci-Fi, Heist, Romance)
- 2020 – Point Zero (Superhero, Sci-Fi)
- 2019 – Seren Plentyn and the Secret of Hokulua Station (Sci-Fi Adventure Mystery)